U.S. Initiates Effort to Halt Airline Insecticide Spraying

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The Clinton Administration is planning a series of measures to discourage governments overseas from requiring that jetliners arriving in their airports be sprayed with insecticide, a practice that Federal officials say needlessly exposes millions of Americans to harmful chemicals.

The United States ended the in-flight spraying of insecticides in passenger cabins of arriving airliners in 1979, after determining that the health danger it posed outweighed any benefits. But the United States cannot forbid other governments from requiring spraying aboard airliners, even American carriers, arriving in their countries.

To counter disease-bearing pests, certain governments require flight attendants on United States and other airlines to spray d-phenothrin, an insecticide that has a low toxicity to humans, 30 minutes before landing at airports in the Caribbean, South America and South Pacific. The ventilation system must be turned off as flight attendants walk down the aisle spraying the insecticide into the air. Safety First

As a first step toward ending that practice, Transportation Secretary Federico F. Pena plans to direct United States airlines to inform passengers before booking flights if their aircraft will be sprayed before landing. "Our top priority is the safety of passengers," Mr. Pena said in an interview.

A spokesman, Richard Mintz, explained this would allow passengers to make an informed decision on whether to board. Transportation officials believe that this action alone, at the height of the Latin American and Caribbean tourist season, will persuade some governments to end the practice. If not, the Secretary would consider more direct measures, Mr. Mintz said.

Officials of the Environmental Protection Agency said complaints from flight attendants and passengers had prompted renewed interest. A 'Cold, Hard Look'

"We're definitely taking a very cold, hard look at this issue," said Stephen L. Johnson, the E.P.A.'s director of pesticide registration, who oversees 25,000 registered products. "Spraying people with an insecticide that is intended to kill bugs and insects doesn't seem like a good thing to do."

While d-phenothrin, sold commercially as Black Knight Roach Killer, has little toxicity for humans, Mr. Johnson said it could create medical problems for people with allergies, chemical sensitivities, asthma and other respiratory problems.

Flight attendants and passengers have complained that the spraying has caused headaches, nausea, fatigue, seizures and, in extreme cases, memory loss, a reduction in cognitive skills or a depressed immune system. Federal investigators are seeking to determine whether the symptoms were caused by the insecticides. "We're very concerned with the incidents that have been reported to us regarding potential chemical sensitization with regard to this product," Mr. Johnson said. 'We Have No Choice'

Chris Chiames, a spokesman for the Air Transport Association, which represents the major airlines, said: "Given the requirements of other countries, we have no choice," he said. "Do we like to do it? No. But the products are approved by E.P.A."

Mr. Chiames said these countries require cabin spraying before arrival: Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Panama, Mexico, Antigua, Barbados, Jamaica, St. Lucia and St. Martin. It is also required by the United States territory of Guam and the commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands.

The Department of Transportation reported that in the 12 months ending last September major U.S. airlines flew 15.2 million passengers to the Caribbean, Central America and South America.

When the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention directed airlines 15 years ago to discontinue the use of insecticides on aircraft arriving from overseas, it did so, said David Rogers, an analyst at the Centers' Division of Quarantine, because "there was a determination here at C.D.C. that the risks to passengers outweighed the benefits" of destroying disease-bearing insects. O.K. to Spray Empty Planes

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Though the Agriculture Department still requires aircraft leaving some East Coast cities to be sprayed for Japanese beetles around June and July, an agency directive states, "Do not apply in the presence of passengers, crew or animals."

Some people without health problems say the insecticide affects their breathing. Susan Wallace, health coordinator of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, which represents employees of American Airlines, said that though she has no cardiovascular problems "I've been on airplanes going to the Caribbean where the spray has been used and I've found that it closes your airways and you have trouble breathing; I think it's very hazardous."

A United Airlines flight attendant, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said she became ill in 1990 after a month of flying between New Zealand and Australia, which both required spraying on every flight between them. "I still have a lot of problems with seizures, and I don't have the cognitive abilities I had before," she said. She is on medical disability and said her doctor believed the insecticide had caused her symptoms; United said that had not been proven. 'An Agricultural Threat'

Pat Buechner, a spokesman for the Australian embassy, said his government required spraying because "some insects on board pose an agricultural threat." Nevertheless, he said, "they're still finding insects that could be dangerous."

The continued use of insecticides on overseas flights was described by Linda and Bill Bonvie in the November-December issue of The Earth Journal, which focuses on environmental issues.

Airosol Aircraft Insecticide, the spray used in airline cabins, is a 2 percent concentration of d-phenothrin. The product, a derivative of a chrysanthemum-type flower, is made synthetically under the name sumithrin.

The same spray is sold as Black Knight Roach Killer, whose warning label reads, "Avoid breathing vapors" and "Avoid contact with skin and eyes." The warnings also appear on the aircraft insecticide, along with instructions to turn off the ventilation system, which E.P.A. officials say guarantees that the insecticide will be inhaled. An Assurance of Safety

Both products are manufactured by Airosol Company Inc. of Neodesha, Kan. Don Gillen, vice president for sales and marketing, said Airosol believes the product is safe for humans, even when sprayed in the close confines of an airline cabin.

But Dr. Donald R. Hopkins, Assistant Surgeon General, said in a 1983 memo: "The United States cannot support the use of insecticides in aircraft areas with passengers present. Pesticides registered for such use should not be inhaled."

When Airosol's Mr. Gillen was asked why the aircraft-insecticide label warned against inhalation while also prescribing that the ventilation system be shut down during spraying -- thus insuring it would be inhaled -- he noted that the labels were written by the E.P.A. "We didn't write the handbook on how to use it," Mr. Gillen said.

Mr. Johnson of the E.P.A. acknowledged that his agency writes labels for the use of all pesticides, but he conceded that instructions on the airline pesticide were contradictory.

A version of this article appears in print on January 17, 1994, on Page A00010 of the National edition with the headline: U.S. Initiates Effort to Halt Airline Insecticide Spraying. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe